Percutaneous Coronary Interventions

This is a term for all of the procedures that we perform in the arteries that feed the heart with blood to treat narrowings, blockages or plaque with the use of catheter-based treatments. These interventions include Balloon Angioplasty, Cutting Balloons, Stents (including Drug Eluting Stents), Rotoblation and Brachy Therapy. With these procedures, a small wire is placed across the area of narrowing and a balloon is placed across the area of stenosis. At this point the balloon is inflated and squishes the plaque and stretches open the artery allowing a greater opening. Similar types of balloons are used to deploy a stent which is crimped on the outside of the balloon. When the balloon is inflated, the stent becomes imbedded in the wall of the artery and serves as a scaffold to help prop the artery open.



 

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